Many of us Peeps (“We the Peeps”!) from time to time write our gratitude lists in the posts. It is GooooD for me to read these, and to be reminded how important it is–to know and recognize that God is the constant Giver, and I, the undeserving receiver. I am SO grateful for SO many things which I take SO for granted.

The twelve-step recovery model of AA: a voluntary mutual help association

Alcoholism treatment has evolved to mean professionalized, scientifically based rehabilitation.

Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) is not a treatment method; it is far better understood as a Twelve-Step Recovery Program within a voluntary self-help/mutual aid organization of self-defined alcoholics.

The Twelve-Step Recovery Model is elaborated in three sections, patterned on the AA logo (a triangle within a circle): The triangle’s legs represent recovery, service, and unity;

The circle represents the reinforcing effect of the three legs upon each other as well as the "technology" of the sharing circle and the fellowship.

The first leg of the triangle, recovery, refers to the journey of individuals to abstinence and a new "way of living."

The second leg, service, refers to helping other alcoholics which also connects the participants into a fellowship.

The third leg, unity, refers to the fellowship of recovering alcoholics, their groups, and organizations.

The distinctive AA organizational structure of an inverted pyramid is one in which the members in autonomous local groups direct input to the national service bodies creating a democratic, egalitarian organization maximizing recovery.

Analysts describe the AA recovery program as complex, implicitly grounded in sound psychological principles, and more sophisticated than is typically understood.

AA provides a nonmedicalized and anonymous "way of living" in the community and should probably be referred to as the Twelve-Step/Twelve Tradition Recovery Model in order to clearly differentiate it from professionally based twelve-step treatments.

A study of Alcoholics Anonymous and other 12-step oriented self-help programs finds that they can help most people recover from alcoholism, even those who are not religious or have mental-health problems.

The Pacific Institute on Research and Education (PIRE) reported that researchers tracked a group of 227 alcoholics over three years and found that those who had attended AA or other self-help programs after treatment had higher rates of abstinence, and drank less if they did relapse. The results cut across gender and religious lines and held regardless of psychiatric history or whether the patient had previously attended AA or other similar programs.

“Here’s a widespread, chronic disorder that seems to respond well to an inexpensive resource — mutual-help groups such as AA,” said study co-author Robert Stout, Ph.D., director of the Decision Sciences Institute at PIRE. “Not only do we need to get more addicts engaged in these groups, but we also need to gather evidence on this issue and make sure that the public, policy-makers and practitioners know about it.”

Added co-author John F. Kelly: “There is a clear dose-response relationship: If you don’t go to any meetings, you have the worst outcomes. If you go to a few, you have a little bit better outcome, and if you go to a lot, you have an even better outcome.” Kelly is the associate director of the Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Addiction Research Program.

The study was published in the journal Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research.

Do you know, care about, or love someone who suffers from the disease of alcoholism? If the answer is yes, you are not alone. For every alcoholic out there, there can be dozens, perhaps hundreds of people who have been or are affected by his or her disease as well. Family members, relatives, friends, and co-workers can all suffer as a result of loving, caring about, or depending on the alcoholic in some way.

The good news is that there is help for us, too. While most people realize there are rehabilitation and 12-step programs available for those suffering from the disease, not everyone knows about the programs designed to help those suffering from the effects of alcoholism in a relative or friend. Among these is Al-Anon, which was adapted from the 12-step program of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA).

Al-Anon was founded in 1951 by two women who were married to alcoholics. One was the wife of Bill W. who co-founded AA. Today there are nearly 25,000 Al-Anon groups (of untold sizes) in 131 countries and its literature is translated into over 32 different languages. In its 2006 U.S. and Canada Member Survey, 94 percent of its members said they would definitely recommend Al-Anon to others and 81 percent said that their lives were “much improved” by attendance at Al-Anon meetings. Why is Al-Anon so popular?

The behaviors we develop as a way of coping with the disease of alcoholism in a loved one can ultimately threaten our own well-being. When we care about an alcoholic, our good intentions can lead to caretaking, sometimes called “enabling.” This detrimental process often results in our attempts to spare the alcoholic from having to face the consequences of his or her behaviors. Even though our actions come from a place of love or goodwill, they can in fact prevent the alcoholic from experiencing that which may ultimately lead to his or her decision to get help.